Guideway for high-speed mass transportation systems



GUIDEWAY FOR HIGH-SPEED MASS TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS Filed June 20, 1966S. H. BINGHAM Oct. 10, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR SIDNEY BINGHAMATTORNEY rlll-I III Oct. 10, 1967 s. H. BINGHAM GUIDEWAY FOR HIGH-SPEEDMASS TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS 2 Sheets-She a 2 Filed June 20, 1966 Y 4 E FINVENTOR SIDNEY Hv BINGHAM ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,345,952GUIDEWAY FUR HIGH-SPEED MASS TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS Sidney H. Bingham,109 E. 35th St, New York, NY. 10016 Filed June 20, 1966, Ser. No.558,752 1 5 Claims. (Cl. 104-124) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Theguideway is a built-up structure of longitudinal beams on supportingcolumns, with wood or metal cross ties supported on the beams by meansof rubber pads subject only to vertical and lateral shear stresses. Thepads are in turn supported by adjustable brackets on the beams. Rails onthe ties carry railway vehicle wheels. A third rail supported ontransverse beams carries guide surfaces above the vehicle rails alongwhich guide wheels of a high speed vehicle can run.

The present invention relates to a guideway for highspeed masstransportation systems, such for example, as a guideway for use withrailway trains operating at speeds up to approximately 225 miles perhour.

In the past, attempts to provide proper guideways for high-speed masstransportation systems have been largely unsuccessful. One of thereasons for this situation lies in the fact that the means provided forabsorbing live load shocks were insuflicient, resulting in deteriorationof the guideway structure and in high costs of maintaining rail gaugeand level.

Also in the past, little if any consideration has been given to variousdisturbing factors which might affect the stability of the guideway,such for example, as disturbances which occur within the soil mass uponwhich the guideway has its footings. Nor was expansion and contractionresulting from moisture and extremes of temperature change givensuflicient consideration.

The present guideway is designed to overcome the disadvantages of pastsystems With respect to vertical, horizontal, impact, wind andearthquake loads both live and transient, and provides a guideway inwhich the tracks or track members are resiliently supported with-outlosing the ability to maintain the guage of the tracks, or the level ofthe tracks, thus minimizing deterioration and rendering the guidewaysubstantially permanent.

In a preferred form of the invention the guideway is elevated above theground and is so constructed as to be air-permeable, thus providing anairflow pattern about a train which closely approaches thethree-dimensional airflow pattern of airplanes in flight. This, combinedwith proper streamlining of the cars, makes high-speed operationpossible with minimum power expenditure.

It is an object of the invention to provide a guideway for use withtrains operating at speeds of 225 miles per hour and upward which isstructurally stable and possessed of structural resiliency.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a guidewaystructure in which live load shocks are absorbed through the cushioningeffect of rubber pads which rubber pads utilize the most favorablecharacteristics of rubber, namely, its shear resiliency in lateral andvertical planes.

It is a further object of the invention to make available such aguideway which provides a superior degree of track stability due to moreelfective resistance to soil disturbances, such as settlement, expansionetc., than past attempts have provided.

It is a still further object of the invention to providea guideway whichpermits airflow about the train approachice ing the characteristics ofthe three-dimensional airflow about airplanes in flight.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent when thefollowing description is considered in connection with the annexeddrawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a section of guideway in accordance withmy invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the guideway section of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged transverse vertical cross-sectional view takenon the plane of the line 3-3 of FIG- URE 2 further illustrating theconstruction of the guideway, and

FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal vertical cross-sectional view taken on theplane of line 44 of FIGURE 3 showing particularly the mode of supportingthe ties on the longitudinally extending supporting beams as well as themode of fastening the rails to the ties.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIG- URES 1 through 3,the guideway is seen to comprise pairs of spaced columns 10 and 11 whichare preferably mounted upon footings 12 which are below the soil surfaceto an extent that soil disturbances are rendered ineffective.

Mounted on and extending between two columns 10 is a concrete beam 14and similarly mounted upon and extending between two columns 11 is aconcrete beam 13. Extending between pairs of columns 10 and 11 aretransverse beams 15 which serve both to brace the entire structure andas supporting members for a guide rail 17 which will be describedhereinafter.

Both the longitudinal beams 13 and 14 and the trans verse beams 15 are,of course, secured in position on the column tops by suitable means,such for example, as the bolts shown at 18 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 3).

As is obvious from FIGURES 1 and 2, the longitudinally extending beamsare placed end to end in alignment, as are the beams 14. The cross beams15 are placed between adjacent ends of the beams 13 and 14 to form acontinuous support for the ties. Necessary track curvature is providedfor in a suitable manner, such for example, as by utilizing relativelyshort guideway sections and placing the ties on the longitudinallyextending beams in a manner to provide the required curvature.

The mode of mounting the ties and rails upon the supporting beams isunique and provides, as indicated above, great resiliency and stabilityof the guideway structure.

As seen in FIGURES l and 2, ties 29 are spaced along the beams 13 and 14and extend from a beam 13 to corresponding beam 14. These ties, as shownin FIGURE 4, are rectangular in cross-section, and are preferably steeltubes. At spaced points along the longitudinally extending beamscorresponding to the desired location of the cross ties, bolts 21 arefixed in the beams as shown particularly in FIGURES 2 and 4. These boltsare arranged in a rectangular pattern and serve to fix a pair ofbrackets 22 to the beam 13 or 14, as the case may be. Each bracket isprovided on each side of its central reinforcing web 23, with a slotextending parallel to the tie 20 thus providing adjustment of the tiestransversely of the guideway.

The brackets 22 are mounted on the ties 20 at standard locationsrelative to the tie end, and the brackets are mounted on the beams toproperly locate the rails at desired levels and gauge spacing.

Bonded to each tie 20 at each end thereof is a pair of rubber pads 24,which are preferably of synthetic rubber, such as butadiene or otherpolymer rubber, these pads being bonded to the metal by use ofappropriate adhesives, thereby forming a strong and permanentattachment.

In like manner, the rubber pads 24 are bonded to the face of thecorresponding brackets 22, so that each tie has a bracket fixed theretoat each side, there thus being a pair of brackets afilxed to the tieadjacent each end. As indicated above, the ties are mounted on the beamsby placing the brackets 22 on the beams with a bolt 21 extending throughthe slotted openings. In order to assure proper level of the ties, shims25 are provided in various thicknesses, the shims being placed under thebrackets before the brackets are placed in position.

After the brackets have been placed in position with the desired shimsin place, and have been adjusted to a desired position transverse to theguideway, nuts 26 are placed on bolts 21 and tightened.

Standard railroad rails 30 are mounted on the ties 20 by any suitablemeans. As shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, rail plates 31 are provided withopenings to receive bolts 32, which are secured to the ties as bywelding, and are likewise provided with slots to receive the ends ofrail anchor clips 33, the opposite ends of which have holes throughwhich bolts 32 extend. After the rail plates, rails and anchor clips arein place, nuts 35 are placed on bolts 32 and tightened, thus securingthe rails to the ties and forming a structure which is rigid.

The rigid rail structure described above is, however, resilientlysupported on the beams by means of the rubber pads or members 24, whichmembers thus utilize the most favorable characteristics of rubber,namely, its shear resiliency in vertical and lateral planes.

This use of rubber in shear is to be contrasted with prior attempts tosecure resiliency by the use of rubber, such as by placing rubber padsunder the rail base. In order to provide sufiicient resiliency by theuse of such rubber pads in compression, the pads must be of considerablethickness. Pads of the required thickness permit the rails to wobble andthus provide an unstable foundation. Additionally, the probability oflateral rail movement and loss of gauge is such that the arrangement isnot practical.

The use of the rigid rail and tie system and of rubber in shear asdescribed above obviates these various disadvantages and provides aguideway having both resiliency and permanency. Furthermore, the rubberpads 24 may be of a thickness coordinated with the loadings expected, sothat optimum riding qualities are obtained. The fact that these pads arepositioned at or close to the ends of the ties also assures stability,and thus transient disturbances which might otherwise shock and damagethe entire structure have little or no adverse effect upon railalignment.

The guide rail 17 mentioned hereinabove also serves to increase theeffectiveness of the guideway for high-speed trains, since it makespossible the use of high-speed, lightweight cars, which are prone to beoverturned under vertical wind loading. The guide rail 17 occupies ahigher position relative to the rails and thus reduce the torque appliedto the track under wind loading, and also aids in the negotiation ofcurves and assures train stability where variations in equilibriumspeeds are present.

In addition, the guide rail may be utilized as a means for exertingbraking effort as is disclosed in my Patent No. 3,240,291, issued Mar.15, 1966. The guide rail 17 may be engaged by rubber-tired wheelsmounted on substantially vertical axes on the cars, as disclosed in theabove-mentioned patent, or may be provided with steel faced surfacesengageable directly by brake shoes or the like.

As clearly shown in FIGURES 1 and 3, the guide rail 17 is mounted on thecross beams 15 by means of depending mounting ears or lugs 40' formed onthe guide rail sections. Ears 40 are provided with apertures throughwhich bolts 41 fixed in the beams 15 extend. Nuts 42 are then threadedon the bolts 41 and hold the guide rail 17 in fixed position on thebeams 15.

It Will of course be understood that the desired surfaces such as 43 ofthe guide rails are utilized and that these surfaces either are made toconform with the required curvatures or the guide rail sections may bestraight and the required curvatures provided by fixing members to theguide rail, the surface areas of which are utilized.

It will be seen from the above that I have provided a guideway forhigh-speed mass transportation which has many advantages, providingresilience, stability, and permanence. It will also be obvious thatalthough preferred forms of guideway have been described, there are manypossible variations. For example, although the guideway has beendesrcibed as elevated, it may be placed at ground level, with the beams13 and 14 resting directly upon the ground. Although the latterarrangement is not preferred, it is nonetheless superior to anypresent-day guideway.

In view of the many variations possible, I wish to be limited not by theforegoing description, but on the contrary, solely by the claims grantedto me.

What is claimed is:

1. A high-speed mass transportation guideway comprising, in combination,a plurality of longitudinally extending beams arranged in pairstransversely spaced apart, a plurality of cross ties, means comprisingrubber members subject to vertical and lateral shear stress for mountingeach cross tie in position across said beams, and rails fixedly mountedupon said cross ties and extending longitudinally of said beams; saidmeans for mounting each cross tie including at least one pair ofbrackets adjustably supported on one said beam for limited movementrelative to said guideway, said pair of brackets being spaced and havinga cross tie positioned between them, said rubber members being betweenthe facing surfaces of said cross tie and said brackets and being bondedthereto.

2. A guideway as claimed in claim 1 wherein said brackets are adjustablein the direction parallel to the longitudinal axes of said ties.

3. A guideway in accordance with claim 1 wherein said ties arerectangular in cross-section and are fabricated of steel.

4. A guideway in accordance with claim 1, additionally comprising crossbeams extending transversely of the longitudinal beams at spacedintervals along the guideway, and a guide rail fixed to said cross beamsbetween said rails, said guide rail extending upwardly to a positionvertically above said rails.

5. A guideway in accordance with claim 4, additionally comprising groundsupported columns supporting said longitudinally extending beams andsaid cross beams, said guideway being elevated to provide anair-permeable structure.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 354,558 12/1886 Latimer l04l241,218,141 3/1917 Wells 238-58 2,997,965 8/1961 Hawes l05145 X 3,225,70312/1965 Lemeke 104120 3,291,394 12/1966 Wheeler 238-382 ARTHUR L. LAPOINT, Primary Examiner.

J. BABER, Assistant Examiner,

1. A HIGH-SPEED MASS TRANSPORTATION GUIDEWAY COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION,A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING BEAMS ARRANGED IN PAIRSTRANSVERSELY SPACED APART, A PLURALITY OF CROSS TIES, MEANS COMPRISINGRUBBER MEMBERS SUBJECT TO VERTICAL AND LATERAL SHEAR STRESS FOR MOUNTINGEACH CROSS TIE IN POSITION ACROSS SAID BEAMS, AND RAILS FIXEDLY MOUNTEDUPON SAID CROSS TIES AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID BEAMS; SAIDMEANS FOR MOUNTING EACH CROSS TIE INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE PAIR OFBRACKETS ADJUSTABLY SUPPORTED ON ONE SAID BEAM FOR LIMITED MOVEMENTRELATIVE TO SAID GUIDEWAY, SAID PAIR OF BRACKETS BEING SPACED AND HAVINGA CROSS TIE POSITIONED BETWEEN THEM, SAID RUBBER MEMBERS BEING BETWEENTHE FACING SURFACES OF SAID CROSS TIE AND SAID BRACKETS AND BEING BONDEDTHERETO.